In 2004, when she was 54 years old
Zaha Hadid became the first and only woman till now
To be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize (architecture's most prestigious award)
Through miracles of steel bars and cement
She upended people's understanding of architecture
Making the world fall in love with curves, and the flowing "Zaha shapes"
The unrestrained genius was unmarried for life
Devoted her life to breaking the trammels of conventional ideas 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,239 In architecture, design, nationality and gender
July 2021
The first exhibition of Zaha Hadid Architects in mainland China opened in Shanghai
More than 200 original models and precious manuscripts of her masterpieces
Presenting a feast for the eyes
This exhibition is about a journey
The innovation, the inspiration that we've developed to a whole spectrum of design
In 1972, at the age of 22, Zaha left Iraq to study at London's Architectural Association School of Architecture
She recalled the time
"As a woman, a woman in traditional turban"
“I was out of place”
She travelled around China when she was a student
How the rivers carve the landscape
And garden with rocks are being carved away as sculpture inspired her work
She loved this abstraction idea
Also, she was very fond of Russian abstract painting
And practiced the inspirations in her design
In 1982, three years after founding her own firm
The Peak Club in Hong Kong made her name known
It's like the topography of the land becoming expressed
It was a spirit of Zaha
And people have never seen this type of expression of
What architecture could be
However, before the age of 44, no design of Zaha was actually realized
Her bold and avant-garde design was always considered impossible
And her gender and nationality made her refused everywhere
People say she's just a "talker"
Until 1994, Vitra Fire Station was completed
Using concrete and steel in a way that is trying to fly
And be almost anti-gravitational
Our office was quite small, I was the fifth person in the office
It was cold, no heat
We shared little electric heater on the floor
The two we had in the office were both for Zaha's feet
So we were freezing and putting gloves on while we draw and paint
Everything is in really precise portion
Or she tore the paper and threw it away
She had that drawing power, this attraction that brings people together
We were preempting the digital era
Actually, in our mind, we know everything is possible
Zaha and partner Schumacher were pioneers of parametric design
With the power of computers, more complex structures and patterns can be realized
Phaeno Science Centre
Known as a great creation of architectural technology
MAXXI
An important work of Zaha's transformation from early jagged design to later curve design
She defeated 273 competitors
Heydar Aliyev Centre
An ultimate flowing curve design of Zaha
The landscape becoming the building
Ground surface becoming a wall, becoming a roof
Going back down and kind of embracing the people
That is definitely a project that changed architecture
"A good building actually changes people's imagination about life," said Zaha
On top of the beautiful shape, she and the team also focused on practicality
Daxing Airport, by doing the star shape
Allows to maximize the amount of gates
Minimizeing travel distance of people
Lize Soho project
Tallest atrium in the world naturally becomes a ventilation space
We gently twisted the building
Responding to the movement of the sunlight to maximize the amount of daylight
Unicorn Island is a future city
We also integrated this whole virtual experience
让未来的住户能在岛屿建成前就体验这里的生活 Allowing future users to become a community
Before the physical building
Zaha wanted to have a family, like most women do
But she gave up that thought
"I will be torn up by the two worlds"
"I must always focus on architecture"
Because of it, many people think she's a ruthless career woman
She's actually a good cook
We'd always work sometimes maybe 3 or 4 in the morning
She'd cook for us
Almost like a mother who is taking care of her family
She was very fun to be with
She'd have her hair salon come to the office
And she'd say "you, you, you, you, get your hair cut"
And they'd come back transformed, very fashionable
Zaha died in Miami in 2016 at the age of 66 from a sudden heart attack
People say Zaha's the most famous female architect in the world
But she was to me not become she was female
You can see the younger generation coming to see the show
Are influenced by the office
She used to always say, it's an endless experimentation
And it's true, we continue
It's really about he future
The unyielding optimism and the power of it